Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-07-08
SAVED FROM DEATH.
DANGEROUS OPERATION ON AN
ITALIAN WOMAN.

intestinal troubles successfully treated
was recently performed at tho Charity
Hospital which has excited much inter
est in the medical profession. The case
was one of those raro ones that appear
hardly once in a hundred years. Even
then the conditions are never fully
known until an examination is made
after death. There is only one other
case on record in which a similar opcr-
alton was tried, and the end of this was
the death of the patient from heart
failure before the incision in the body
had been closed.
Rachel Ricardo, middle-aged Ital-
ian woman was the patient operated
upon.
THE HISTORY OF HER CASE
Shows that she has been a sufferer from
the most intense pain in the abdominal
region. the effect of which is plainly
marked on the woman's face and the
white hair. which began TO turn as she
suffered. Her aliment was thought at
first to be simple case of constipation
which she had suffered all her life and
the Italia physician in Mulberry
Bend" gave her purgatives without
stint. These afforded relief for a while,
but their virtue soon ended. and their
use did much more harm than good.
The constipation became unusually
obstinate, the absence of intestinal ac-
tivity, covering period of months.
She was troubled with nausea all the
time and frequently yomited greenish
liquid that was very offensive and con-
tanned a large amount of BILE. No at
tention was given TO her diet, and
the coarse food used by Italians added
cons derably to her misery. Her body
turned to deep yellow, indicating an
active discharge of bile and Interrupt
ton of its regular removal
When brought TO the hospital she
was in dclir Gus condition. If nature
had not taken this means of giving the
woman relief, she would have died in
her humble home, and an opportunity
would have been missed 10 demonstrate
the advance that has been made in sur
gery and surgical skill. Her symptoms
indicate that she has mechanic al OBJ
structjon in the intestine. Its nature
was conjecturaL 1t might bs due to
structure, tumor, or solid growth in
the intestine, spasm or impacted feces,
but there was no means whereby il
could be determined with certainty.
The entire abdomen was the seat of
an active inflammation with great ten
derness. In fact so tender was the
abdomen that the touch of finger or
sheet would bring on violent spasm.
in which the body would be
! THROWN INTO ALL SORTS OF CoNroR-
TIONs
And the intestines would become knot
ted and twist around with snakelike
movements, which were plainly visible
from the external surface. Nature was
doing heroic work to get rid of the
obstruction. whatever its character
might be, and this was shown in fro
quent violent cramps and bearing down
movements of the abdominal muscles.
AS soon as it had been definitely set
struction an effort was made to reduce
the inflammation. Leeches were set
to work on the abdomen and chest.
Hip baths were given at regular inter
IL, 10 oT a
istered The patients system was not
sensitive TO the action of opiates and
she could take enough at one dose to
destroy the life of dozen people.
This treatment had the desired effect.
The Inflammation subsidized to some ex-
tent, enough TO remove the patient
from the delirious state, and make her
fully alive to every pain. Then it
could be seen how badly she suffered.
She begged for opium, and it was given
to her until it was not safe to give any
more, but this did not give relief She
prayed for death. The only way in
which she could be kept quiet was by
placing a handkerchief saturated with
ether over her face. The patient was
in such agony and the pain in the alb
domen covered such large surface
that she could not locate the place
where the obstruction was. An at
tempt was made to do it by introducing
rubber tube into the intestine.
Twenty feet of tube was put in. and
then it was seen that the tube had
doubled up, and nothing was found of
value.
There was only one thing to be done,
and that was to open the abdomen.
There was so much Inflammation that
ii was considered to be certain death 20
do this, but there was chance that
some good might be done. DR.. Allen,
the consulting surgeon. will take a
chance every time. The patient was
put under
ror-psr on cpurr.r